I've Been Shot
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Date: August 19, 1991 Story On the night of August 19, 1991, Pat Douglas of Indianapolis, Indiana, drove her thirty-two-year-old daughter, Portia, home after they had gone out for dinner. While Pat waited in her car for Portia to go into her apartment and get a hat Pat wanted to borrow, she noticed a man pacing nervously behind the window in his ground-floor apartment. Pat thought it was odd but gave it only a moment's thought as Portia returned with the hat and said good night As Portia checked her mailbox before going into her apartment upstairs, the same young man, who was new to the building, approached her and asked to borrow some salt. She entered her apartment, leaving the door open. She got the salt and returned to her living room, where the man stood waiting, pointing a gun at her. She screamed for help as he fired, hitting her directly in the chest. Portia lay on the floor and dialed 911. At 9:04pm, Marion County Sheriff's Department Dispatcher Victoria Samuels answered the call. "I've just been shot twice by a rapist," Portia whispered. Her breathing grew more labored as she gave the operator all the pertinent information. Sheriff's Department Officers and rescue units were immediately dispatched to the scene, but Samuels was concerned that Portia might die before help arrived. "I really almost lost it," recalled Samuels, "when she told me to call her parents in case she died. I thought, I really don't want to have to make that call." Lawrence Township Fire Department Paramedic Jeff Muszar, stationed across the street from the apartment complex, arrived within sixty seconds. Protocol dictated, however, that he not enter the building until law enforcement secured the area. He anxiously waited in his vehicle, frustrated that he might not get to Portia in time, but knowing if he went in, he risked being shot by the assailant. Meanwhile, Amy Waters answered another emergency call from a man who reported he'd heard gunfire and noticed that his gun was missing. When Waters learned that the caller's address was the same as Portia's, she instantly knew it was the suspect, who must have assumed Portia was dead. Officers, including Sheriff's Deputy Kelly Hayes, who were en route, were informed that the suspect was in his own apartment. Their job now was to get Portia out of the building without letting the suspect know they were on to him. When the officers arrived, Hayes went straight to Portia's apartment to be with her until the paramedics arrived. Then the other officers ordered the suspect out of his apartment and took him into custody without further incident. He was shocked to hear that Portia was still alive. Finally, Muszar was allowed to enter the building. In twelve years of service, it was the longest wait he'd endured. Portia was rushed to the hospital with tremendously low blood pressure and internal bleeding. Sergeant Dave Tilton arrived on the scene and got a confession from the suspect. Portia was hospitalized for ten days, then released. "What happened to me was terrible," she says, one month later and back to work as an attorney, "but I now know I'm a survivor, and I've gone on with my life. I work hard, I play hard, and I do everything as if today were my last day. Pat says that Portia has a lot more confidence today and she's proud that Portia showed that night what she had in her. "I think more than anything, telling the story is very purging," says Portia. "I feel sorry for rape victims that have to hold it in. If you hold it in, it just eats away at you. If you can tell it and get it out, you can go on with your life." Portia has nothing but praise for her rescuers, especially Samuels. "I was terrified that night," Portia says. "But nothing was as soothing as hearing that operator's voice on the telephone. It was my line to reality." Category:1991 Category:Indiana Category:Gunshot Wounds Category:Crimes